Winner: Marina Maher Communications - Secret and Diana Nyad Blow Social Engagement Out of the Water
Sixty-four-year-old long distance swimmer Diana Nyad had already made four failed attempts at the 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida. She began her fifth on Aug. 31, 2013, which unfolded into a historic 53-hour journey from Havana to Key West in open water, making her the first person to complete the swim without a shark cage.
Nyad’s fearless effort to accomplish a dream that had eluded her for 35 years was a perfect fit for Secret to celebrate a new breed of fearless females. Secret partnered with Nyad and her team to document her journey in real time through social media, giving the world an exclusive and never before seen window into what she vowed would be her last attempt.
The sponsorship put the brand in the center of one of the most iconic female success stories of the year, driving almost 30 million earned social media impressions. During Nyad’s record-breaking swim, the brand encouraged her to be fearless by tweeting in real time with the #FearlessNyad hashtag, resulting in 23 million impressions and 4 million organic @SecretDeodorant impressions. Engagement was more than three times the average for Twitter and just three Facebook posts reached 534,000 fans. The event resulted in unprecedented organic pickup of the brand with non-affiliated celebrities and sports franchises including Marcia Cross, Kelly Williamson, Alex and Ani and the Detroit Red Wings who all tweeted #FearlessNyad on their own. Most notably, there was a 19% year over year increase in sales of Secret Clinical Strength Waterproof.
Honorable Mentions:
- APCO Worldwide - IKEA Brighter Lives for Refugees: the One Night Without Lights Social Media Challenge
- Blue Flame Agency – TheNewYear
- Coty Prestige - Daisy Marc Jacobs Pop-Up Tweet Shop
- Esurance - #EsuranceSave30: A Giveaway That Made History